


Innovative Solutions

by CirrusGrey



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Episode Related, M/M, episode 184 spoilers, in which I have more hope than 99 percent of the fandom, plot theories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27162814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CirrusGrey/pseuds/CirrusGrey
Summary: SPOILERS FOR MAG 184!!!"What you just did to Jordan, turning him into- making him into an Avatar." Martin waved his hands around. "Turning a victim into a torturer. Could you do it again?"
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 34
Kudos: 168





	Innovative Solutions

That had been a bad decision.

Well, no. It had been a _hasty_ decision. Un-thought-through. Very likely bad.

Jon didn't know for sure either way. He felt guilty, and he was pretty sure Martin was angry at him, and that only compounded the guilt, but...

He'd watched Jordan Kennedy suffer in his dreams, every night, for _years,_ and not been able to do anything. Was he really supposed to have left him, now, when he _could_ help? When Jordan had been begging him for help, had _recognized_ him? Jon _couldn't_ have just left him there, he _owed_ it to him not to leave him there, not after everything.

And he'd get used to it, eventually. To the Watching. The guilt of complicity never truly went away, but it was better than suffering in an eternal nightmare. It had to be.

It still felt like he'd made the wrong choice. The hatred in Jordan's eyes as they walked away had made sure of that.

Jon glanced behind him. Martin's eyes were narrowed as he walked, and he was chewing on his bottom lip, deep in thought. Jon dropped back a pace to walk beside him, but didn't speak. He didn't know how to defend his actions. He didn't know if he should.

Another few minutes passed in tense silence before Martin snapped to attention, eyes widening. "Hang on," he said, excitement lacing his voice.

Jon jumped at the sudden change of mood. "What?"

"How many people could you do that to, do you think?" Martin asked.

Jon blinked. "Do... what?"

"What you just did to Jordan, turning him into- making him into an Avatar." He waved his hands around. "Turning a victim into a torturer. Could you do it again?"

Jon floundered for a moment. "I- I mean, yes? But given Jordan's reaction, I don't know if I _shou-"_

"It didn't hurt you, did it?"

"What?" Jon said again, stuttering to a halt at the new interruption.

"Was it- I don't know, painful, draining, something? Stealing a victim from the Eye like that."

"Oh," Jon said. "No. Watcher or Watched, we're all feeding the Eye now. It took effort, but... no, it didn't hurt."

"Good." Martin gave a decisive nod. His eyes were sparkling, whatever idea had started him on this line of questioning lending an energy to his movements that Jon hadn't seen in a while. "So how many do you think you could do?"

Jon opened his mouth, closed it. Tried again. "I'm not sure I understand the question."

"Like-" Martin waved his hands again, emphasizing his words. "If you turned _everyone_ in a domain- I mean, could you do it?"

"Maybe? I- I didn't really know I could do it at _all_ until I tried, but... probably. It would take a _long_ time to find everyone, though."

"But you _could."_ Martin looked at him, seeking confirmation.

"Yes," Jon said. "I think I could."

Martin nodded. "And if you were in a central location? Say, somewhere you could see the entire world, and where the world could see you? Somewhere _powerful."_

"Are you talking about the Panopti-"

"Yes, of course I'm talking about the Panopticon, Jon," Martin said, with a fond roll of his eyes. "Where else?"

"Right," Jon nodded, trying to keep up with the flow of the conversation. "What about the Panopticon?"

"If you could see everyone from there, _everyone,_ in all the domains..." Martin took a deep breath, holding out his hand to stop Jon walking and turning to face him. "Could you turn them all at once? Make _everyone_ an Avatar? Or- or a _Watcher,_ or whatever you want to call it. Could you do it?"

Jon frowned. "I'm not sure I would want to. Given Jordan's reaction... well, he didn't seem too happy with the change in his status. Besides," he gave Martin an enquiring look. "I thought you didn't approve of me using my powers that way? You seemed to be objecting pretty strongly at the time."

Martin snorted. "I mean, to be honest, when you first started talking I thought you were going to kill him." Jon let out a noise of protest, and Martin shushed him. "I know, I know, you wouldn't. And... yes, you're right, I was... _unhappy_ with the way you went about that. But, Jon..." Martin reached out, took Jon's hands in his own. "You once told me, back when all of this started, that the fears couldn't be destroyed while there were people left to fear them. If you can turn everyone into Avatars... change their place in this- this _fear hierarchy_ so they're all watching and no one's watched..."

The realization of what Martin was trying to say hit Jon with the force of a mallet to the head. "There would be no one left to be afraid," he breathed.

Martin nodded, eyes wide. "If everyone's an Avatar... there's no fear for them to feed on, no one to watch suffer."

"And with no fear to feed on..." Jon began.

"The Fears themselves could be destroyed," Martin finished, and squeezed his hands.

"That's..." Jon said, and took a breath. "Wow."

"Could you do it?" Martin asked quietly. "Is is- is it even possible, on such a large scale? You know, 'Ceaseless Watcher, turn your gaze upon this wretched planet?"

Jon let out a soft huff of amusement, before turning serious again. "I... I don't know. Maybe? It might-" He stopped. _Kill me,_ was how that sentence ought to end. _It might kill me._ Expending that amount of effort on a goal that ran so counter to the Eye might strip him of everything he had left to offer, even without taking into consideration the fact that he might not be able to survive in a world without the Fears once it was done.

But he couldn't say that, not to Martin. He couldn't crush the hope that was starting to gleam in his eyes after far too long absent. "...I might not be powerful enough," he amended.

"But you could try," Martin said, with such faith and trust that it took Jon's breath away. Faced with that look, there was nothing in the world he would not do.

"Yes," he said, quietly. "Yes, I could try."

Martin squeezed his hands again, smiling. "Jon," he said, with barely suppressed glee. "Jon, this might be _it."_

Jon couldn't help laughing at that. "I thought killing Elias was _it?"_ he teased.

Martin rolled his eyes. "I mean, _yeah,_ but- but there's no guarantee that's going to change anything. We're still _going_ to," he said firmly, with so much pure venom in his voice that Jon couldn't help falling just a bit more in love. "I want to see that bastard suffer. But it's a pretty long shot that it might _fix_ anything, while this is- this is _solid._ This- Jon, this might save the world."

"It might, at that," Jon said, and he truly, truly didn't care if it killed him to do so. Not of it saved the world. Not if it saved Martin.

"So... what do you think?" Martin asked. "Do we have a new plan?"

Jon smiled, and nodded. "Yes. We'll... turn everyone into semi-human Avatars of fear and force them to watch all the suffering in the world against their will."

Martin choked. "Well, when you put it like _that..."_

Jon laughed. "Would you prefer if I say we'll turn everyone into voyeurs with no one to watch?"

"Yes, actually," Martin said, shaking his head in exasperation. "I _would_ prefer that."

Then he lifted his hands, taking Jon's face between his palms and drawing him down into a blistering kiss.

"We can do this," he said, once he pulled back, leaving Jon flustered and warm in his wake. "We can save the world. _You_ can save the world."

Jon looked at him. Martin was disheveled, and ragged, hair mussed from trying to brush ants out of it and dark circles under his eyes from stress, but there was such certainty shining in his smile that Jon couldn't help but believe him, if only for a moment.

"We _can_ do this," he said, and the surety in his own voice shocked him. "Together."

Martin's smile widened. "Let's not waste any time, then. The world is waiting."

Jon laced his fingers through Martin's, pulling the hand away from his face and swinging it down by their sides. "Yes," he said, and turned back to face the path that lay ahead. "Let's go."

**Author's Note:**

> I love how everyone's freaking out about the moral implications of this episode while I'm over here throwing confetti and tooting on a party horn cheering about how they've just found the way to save the world.


End file.
